Watch: TSA in KC airport treat Argentina star Lionel Messi just like anyone else
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Argentina players brought over a thousand pounds of beef to Kansas City for meals.
- The Argentina squad held three group barbecues outside the Origin Hotel where they stayed.
- A player packed a large lighter that TSA agents discovered during luggage screening.
Argentina’s World Cup team is not only good at soccer — the team’s players also excel at barbecues.
The Argentina squad brought more than a thousand pounds of beef to Kansas City to make sure the players have the same diet as back home.* And the team has had three group barbecues outside the Origin Hotel, where they are staying.
*Man, I hope they’re not missing out on trying burnt ends
Barbecue is apparently a big part of their lives, so much so that a player brought one of those big lighters in his luggage when the team flew out of the downtown airport on Wednesday. TSA agents spotted it as they were checking the players’ bags.
And superstar Lionel Messi got a kick out of that, laughing at the moment. This was shortly before he was checked by a TSA agent with a wand. It doesn’t matter if you’ve won every possible soccer trophy and your face is known around the world, you’re still going to get the same treatment as anyone else before you board a plane in Kansas City.
Team Argentina has left for Miami and a Round of 32 match; KC firm VML had an office with a view of the TSA workers checking the players before they left. Josh Chavis shared this fun video on X.
This story was originally published July 2, 2026 at 8:41 AM.
